MCA Chicago Announces Spring 2024 Family Day Programming Line-up
CHICAGO—The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago announces its Spring 2024 Family Day programming. Every second Saturday of the month, October through May, the MCA offers families free museum admission and interactive programming that redefines the way that youth and families explore and create art together. Family Day is an intentional time for families, both biological and chosen, to experience a fun and accommodating museum space that engages young visitors and their grown-ups through movement, art-making, and learning activities.
To continue the ongoing 2023–2024 season, the upcoming Family Day series will be packed with artist-led activities built on themes of love in February, reading in March, springtime in April, and migration in May. Building upon artist relationships, organizational partnerships, and Spanish-English bilingual facilitation, families and youth will learn about art and community directly from artists like Pablo Helguera, Jacqueline Alcántara, Denise Holmes, Salvador Andrade, Sabina Angeles, and Moises Salazar. Additionally, in February, KIDO Chicago will return to Family Day with music, crafting, and storytelling activations, with the brand’s family-friendly gifts also available at the MCA Store.
The Family Day series is organized by Mayra Cecilia Palafox, Manager of Learning, Students, and Families. Admission is free to Family Day attendees. ASL interpretation is provided. Visit mcachicago.org/family-day to find out more about Family Day and see dates for the upcoming season.
SPRING FAMILY DAY PROGRAMS
Family Day: Book Day
March 9, 2024 | 11 am–3 pm
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Free tickets to Family Day are available online and on-site.
This month’s Family Day features a Libreria Donceles pop-up with artist Pablo Helguera leading Spanish and English readings to promote bilingual learning. Additionally, Poems While You Wait writes poems specifically for you, and families can participate in illustration workshops facilitated by two local children’s book illustrators, Jacqueline Alcántara and Denise Holmes.
Family Day: Spring Blooms
April 13, 2024 | 11 am–3 pm
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Free tickets to Family Day are available online and on-site.
In April, artist Moises Salazar will lead a hands-on character-making workshop, while artist Sabina Angeles will lead a workshop in making alebrijes (Mexican spiritual guardians).
Family Day: Migration Stories
May 11, 2024 | 11 am–3 pm
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Free tickets to Family Day are available online and on-site.
Hosted in collaboration with the Mexican Consulate of Chicago, May’s Family Day will include a screening of an animated documentary, Home is Somewhere Else, centered on migrant experiences. Families will be able to gather and listen to migration stories told through artist workshops, such as sustainable weaving led by Salvador Andrade, transcultural anime storytelling with Mr. Pintamuro, and a workshop on different print techniques with Atlan Arceo.
NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRAMMING
Beyond the museum, visitors will also be able to engage in off-site Family Day activities that showcase local vendors, art, and neighborhoods bringing the museum to the community in a spring celebration of Día del Niño at Saucedo Elementary School in Little Village on April 27, 2024, from 11–2 pm. Organized by the MCA alongside the Chicago White Sox, Little Village Chamber of Commerce, the Ibero-American Consular Association, Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez, and the Chicago Latino Caucus Foundation, this festival will uplift Chicago youth by celebrating their place in the city through art-making, food, music, and dance. Families will be able to partake in the fun all while learning about migrant experiences and the communities that call Chicago home.
Support for Family Programs is provided in part by the MCA Women’s Board Family Education Initiative.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The MCA interweaves exhibitions, performances, collections, and educational programs while providing a place for audiences to contemplate and discuss contemporary art in pursuit of a creative and diverse future. The MCA believes in the values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) as a platform to enact structural change. The museum is generously supported by its Board of Trustees; individual and corporate members; private and corporate foundations, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and government agencies. Museum capital improvements are supported by a Public Museum Capital Grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The MCA is a proud member of Museums in the Park and receives major support from the Chicago Park District.
The MCA is located at 220 E. Chicago Avenue and is open 10 am to 5 pm Wednesday to Sunday and Tuesdays (free for IL residents) from 10 am to 9 pm. The museum is closed on Mondays. Admission is free for all youth 18 and under, members of the military and veterans, and MCA members. Find more information about MCA's exhibitions, programs, and special events at mcachicago.org or at 312.280.2660.
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